“My aim in painting is to explore the creative process. I constantly experiment with different techniques, the goal being to produce paintings that are thought provoking and visually appealing. Ultimately, I paint because it brings me great pleasure. If I can transfer some of that pleasure to viewers of my art, then I have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.”

How do you describe your relationship with art? What does art mean to you?

Art can provide a variety of reactions: it can soothe, challenge, provoke, inspire, delight, or evoke no emotion whatsoever. Art allows me to see things differently and provides me with a creative outlet that can be either rewarding or frustrating, but always encourages me to push forward.

How did you get into creating abstract artwork? What does abstract mean to you?

I began painting mostly landscapes, seascapes, and florals. Eventually I started to think of different ways to paint things beyond the traditional. I liked the results. Being able to explore different ideas without feeling constrained appeals to me. I find it interesting how the same painting can evoke strikingly different responses from different observers.

Walk us through your journey of creating an art piece.

There is no single path to creating one of my pieces. The concept for the artwork could be extrapolated from photographs, from which I isolate different sections and use each of them as a reference to create an abstract painting. A series may develop almost by accident, by observing how a specific paint reacts on certain papers. The exploration continues by deciding how these new designs can be made into esthetically pleasing pieces of artwork. Other times I may be preoccupied with a shape, such as a circle or something more random, like drips, and I would experiment, creating a series or paintings. Sometimes there is no plan to begin with- just a substrate, paint, (and perhaps other media), and the tools used for application. My paintings may be used to send a message or just to create an image born from my imagination.

Whose techniques do you study, admire or aspire to follow?

I studied the techniques of the instructors whose art classes and workshops I attended. I enjoy the work of artists who cover a broad range of styles such as Steve Driscoll, Angela Leach, Lawren Harris, Tom Thompson, Jackson Pollock, and the black and white pieces of Paul-Émile Borduas, to name a few.

You can find Susan’s work right now at Twist Gallery until Friday, February 28th, 2020 and purchase her work under our “Artwork” section. Follow Susan Weisz’s work on her website and Instagram.